Michael Luther Essick was born May 23, 1833. He married Mary Snodgrass
in Washington, Pennsylvania on Aug. 4, 1857. Mary was born June 29, 1837.
They had three children (one died in infancy) prior to the Civil War. Mary
and the two other children lived with her parents during the War. After the
War, they farmed for several years. When the youngest child, Harry, was about
4 yrs. old they moved to Amarillo Texas and stayed about 6 months. The family
then left for Iowa in a covered wagon pulled by 2 yoke ( 4 head) of oxen.
When they arrived in Indianola, it was the beginning of winter and Michael
had one silver dollar in money. Two families in Indianola helped them through
the winter. One of the families was named Keeney. In the 1890's Michael's
family lived west of the church on what is now known as "the old Smith farm".
Their last home was in Prole, Iowa. Michael was a farmer and a carpenter.
Michael and Mary had 7 children , Sarah (who died in infancy), John(5/21/1859),
Nancy J.(8/31/1862), William James (5/1/1866), Franklin Rudolph (9/16/1868),
Joseph Cary (12/6/1871), and Harry Logan (b: July 3, 1874 d:December 15,
1920).
Harry married Jesse Centennial Lotz. The name Centennial was because
Jesse was born in 1876, The centennial year. Harry and Jesse had 11 children
in a span of 14 years. They both died in 1920. The children ranged in age
from 9 to 23. The 5 oldest Russel, Harold, Lois, Iris, and Eunice were old
enough to have finished High School but the boys appear to have quit before finishing, as was typical in those days. I think that Iris and Eunice had finished school. The others, Verne (known as Bun), Thelma,
Wayne, Harry Leo (known by his middle name Leo), and Jennie had not finnished
School. Another child, Martin Luther, died at the age of 6. Bun, Wayne,
and Leo went to work as farm hands for men in the area.
Wayne worked for a Henry Cross, who persuaded him to go back to High School. After having been out for 4 years, Wayne went back to school, entering the 9th grade at the age of about 17.
